by Jay Lehman 

Jay:  What made you decide to get your first cat and what kind was it?
Deb:  My first cat adopted me when I was less than 10 years old. My parents wouldn't let the cat come indoors, but they never knew that I opened my bedroom window every night, and she would come in and sleep with me.

Jay:  When did you get your first pedigreed (show quality) cat and what breed was it?
Deb:  My first show cat was a Bombay that I had intended to buy as a pet. The breeder had some personal problems at the time and needed money, so she let me go ahead and pay the "pet price" for the only Bombay in her litter that had been born 2 weeks earlier. Of course, I didn't take the boy home until he was 12 weeks old, but he turned out to be the best Bombay she had ever bred. He Granded at his first TICA cat show and boy was I hooked!!!!!

Jay:  When did you become involved in breeding and why?
Deb:  I started breeding because I wanted to enter the TICA Judging Program, and that was a prerequisite.

Jay:  What breeds have you/do you breed, and why?
Deb:  Bombays - because I have a special fondness for black shorthair cats.

Jay:  When did you become involved in TICA and why?
Deb:  This was the Association that the breeder of my first Bombay was registered with, so I went with this.

Jay:  What other associations were you ever involved with?
Deb:  I have shown some in CFA, but I can't say I've ever been "involved" in any other Association.

Jay:  When and why did you decide to become a judge?
Deb:  My first cat show (where my Bombay Granded) I watched Sue Pannell judge and said to myself "I want to be just like her".

Jay:  What is your fondest memory of TICA?
Deb:  Two cats from my very first litter of Bombays Supremed on the same day!!

Jay:  What advise would you give to Russian Blue exhibitors about showing this breed?
Deb:  Temperament, temperament, temperament.